Joyce Huggett

Many Christians become despondent when they find themselves wandering around in an unexpected, unwelcome spiritual desert—that is when Bible study becomes boring, when the ability to pray seems to have evaporated, when all sense of God’s presence disappears or when the inner life seems bleak and barren.
In this beautifully illustrated and hope filled book, the author draws upon the many stories of people in the Bible to expose the oft-forgotten fact that God may lead his loved ones into the desert so that His relationship with them can deepen and so that they may grow spiritually.
Joyce Huggett is a well-loved author and retreat leader whose books have inspired many to deepen their personal prayer life. ‘Listening to God’ is considered her seminal work.… (more)

As someone who believes in the healing power of God working alongside medical professionals I really looked forward to reading this book. Sadly it didn't live up to expectations and I didn't enjoy it at all.

There were many things that seemed wrong to me not least the very idea that someone who is a member of the anglican clergy is somehow more in need of speedy care than anyone else. It seems to go against the very idea of servant-hood that Christians are called to. The author also seems to have very extreme emotional reactions to surgery which is regularly undertaken by many.

Her views of the NHS are very strange on several occasions eg thinking it unusual that she was given a wash in bed the morning after surgery, when in fact I thought it strange she wasn't washed and changed on the evening of the surgery!

To close I can't recommend this book which to me gives a poor account of what God's love in action should really be for all His people.… (more)

Joyce Huggett became interested in contemplative prayer, even though it was very different from her own Christian denominational background, and writes in this book about her journey, the methods she used to reach "silence," and ways in which God speaks today.

This is a tough book to describe because it covers so much both about prayer and about Joyce's own life as what I would call a pastor's wife (she lives in England). She's real about her struggles and comes across as humble. I've been wanting to add a few minutes of just a quietness at the end of the Bible studies I've been doing, so I found the timing of this to be very good. I don't expect myself to follow in her footsteps, say, of putting aside an entire room as a prayer room and scheduling an hour a day to devote myself to silence. But a lot of the advice she gives is practical, and she draws heavily from many sources that give anyone interested in studying prayer many options for further study.… (more)

This is a helpful volume for anyone wanting to understand what conflict is, from a Christian perspective, with some helpful suggestions for resolution and moving forward. It begins with an overview of situations in the Bible where there was confict, emphasising that it's not always wrong: that conflict WILL happen when people have opposing viewpoints or experiences, or perhaps when they're tired or hungry. What matters is what we do with it.

I slightly skimmed this first part of the book as none of it was new to me, but found the majority both interesting and readable, even though I'm not currently in any real situations of conflict. Joyce Huggett was living in Cyprus when she wrote this, and describes some situations and anecdotes which felt very familiar to me.

Some might find her suggestions too prescriptive; when tempers are raised most people aren't going to sit down with paper and pencil and work through their deepest emotions together. But there are, nonetheless, some helpful suggestions which are relevant to those without faith as much as those who are believers.

Recommended.… (more)